Reply #2: False economy

[tularetom]

The assumption is that there is little or no maintenance required once a road has been turned back to gravel.

I have years of experience with the maintenance of rural roads, paved and unpaved. Gravel roads need to be regraded and recompacted two or three times a year depending the volume and type of traffic.

Roads that are used to transport heavy farm equipment and harvested crops may need even more maintenance.

And spot repairs are required after almost every significant weather event (blizzard or heavy rainstorm).

I feel for Mr Zimmerman but I'd be amazed if he can maintain what appears to be a heavily traveled road for $2,600 per mile per year. And elected officials really need to think twice before they take this step. Number one, they can anticipate a deluge of phone calls from irate farmers and other residents, and they'd better be able to explain the situation to them. And number two, once they realize they've made a mistake, they will have to pay even more to upgrade the road to what is needed (repaving).

Unless they are just trying to get the citizens so pissed off that they will vote to tax themselves for improved roads. That can be hazardous to their future employment.